Mike is the CEO and Owner of Sperling Interactive with over 15 years of website design, photography, marketing, and e-commerce experience. He built Sperling Interactive with his wife from the ground up, starting as a small office in his home with only a few employees and clients to one that has 20+ employees and more than 600 clients served all from our headquarters in Salem’s Historic District.
Mike grew up in Baltimore, Maryland where he went to a magnet school for the arts and began his study of photography. From there he went on to Rochester Institute of Technology in New York where he got his degree in Photojournalism and Communications. Before founding Sperling Interactive, Mike worked his way up from staff photographer at the Eagle Tribune Publishing Company to the lead operator and manager of multiple websites for daily and weekly publications.
Mike has a deep commitment to community involvement and civic engagements. In the past few years he and members of our team have become involved in programs that assist the youth, homeless, food insecure, and families at risk through programs at Lifebridge, Paddle for Plummer, LEAP for Education, Harborlight, Bridgewell, and the Enterprise Center at Salem State.
Ever the optimist, Mike believes that there is never a problem that can’t be solved with a bit of ingenuity and perseverance. It’s this positive, can-do attitude and know-how that allowed Mike to be recognized as Small Business of the Year 2019, by the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce.
The Cloud. One of the biggest and most used buzzwords in the technology and business fields currently. “Are we in the cloud?” “What is the cloud?” “Where is the cloud?” Let’s break it down for you so “the cloud” is at least somewhat understandable for the average business/computer user. What is the cloud? Technically, the cloud is the practice of...
Our growing dependence on technology, whether at the office, home, or on our mobile devices, demands equal (if not greater) demands for data security. While computers can be enormous time-savers and powerful business tools, they can also leave you, your family, and business open to cyber attacks aimed at gaining critical information. Business IT Department are busy keeping a vigilant...
“Data breach. We’ve been hacked!” Two phrases that every IT department dreads hearing. According to a recent study by IBM Security, 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created daily. That is an immense amount of information to protect from hackers, inside thefts, poor security protocols, and stolen or lost media. Data security, therefore, is a critical part of protecting data...
“Know when to fold ’em, know when to hold ’em, know when to walk away, know when to run. . . “ When I think about business exit strategies I think of the old Kenny Rogers song The Gambler. While Rogers is talking about playing cards and knowing when the right time is to get out of the game,...
One of the major goals for small businesses just getting started or those revisiting a pricing strategy is to successfully make a profit. Pricing refers to the process of setting a price for a product or service. This strategy, more than any other element of your marketing plan, will have the biggest impact on the amount of profit you make....
“People are definitely a company’s greatest asset. It doesn’t make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps.” Mary Kay Ash – Mary Kay Cosmetics It’s no secret that high-performing companies have high-performing teams. How can business leaders ensure that they are building a strong staff and team...
Robotics are all around us. We drive cars that are, in part, built by robots. We use computers, laptops, tablets and phones that are built by robots. We order products from large warehouses that are assembled, sorted and mailed by robots. Robotics impact our social and business lives in powerful ways. Robotics of the future could bring society self-driving cars...
Business leaders are expected to have many skills to draw upon in their role as owner, manager or department head. One of the most important tools that every business leader should is the ability to be an effective communicator. Facilitating information sharing in a positive and easy-to-understand manner can substantially contribute to the success of a business. Let’s look at...
Business leaders wear many different “hats” on a daily basis. They are motivators, coaches, moderators, and sometimes disciplinarians. Regardless of the type of business or role that the leader is currently “playing,” there are always challenges that crop up. Challenges may be extremely common or extremely unique to your field. They may be temporary glitches or or ongoing issues. Let’s...
Throughout history leaders have: inspired followers to work hard, motivated followers to succeed at a common task, guided followers toward a common goal and challenged followers to be the best at what they do as a part of a larger team. Leaders use their strengths to accomplish all of these things including their: charisma, values, intellect, and vision. Business leaders...
